Results of AGH Newsletter Survey

This past month, we sent out a survey to everyone subscribed to our newsletter in order to get to know our readers better and evaluate our work as a non-profit. We received 290 responses, and are grateful to all the respondents who provided us thoughtful feedback about their interests, goals, and opinions on AGH’s work. Thank you! Below are some results from each question of the survey, with commentary from members of the AGH board and staff. 

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Question 1: What are your areas of interest? (Check all that apply)

We received 289 responses to this question. Federal and state government updates as well as stove R&D were the most popular, while conferences and webinars were the least popular. Among the 10 “Other” responses, DIY stove designs and pellet heating were also popular. We don’t frequently host or promote conferences and webinars, but there is likely to be another Wood Stove Design Challenge, announced later this year.

Question 2: Which of the following expresses your opinion of residential wood and pellet heating? (Check all that apply)

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We made an unfortunate mistake right before publishing the survey of deleting a fourth option that was more in support of wood and pellet heating – and once we started receiving responses, we were not able to change or add options. We noted this in the intro to the survey, and noticed that the number of responses took a big hit – a decrease of almost 100 from the previous question. Many respondents in question 12’s “any other feedback” section explained that they would have chosen a response more positive of wood and pellet heating than the other three responses gave. We apologize for this mistake but feel the responses to the other 3 options are still informative.

Question 3: What, in your opinion, are the top three ways to reduce air pollution from wood smoke? (Check all that apply)

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After the decrease in responses to question 2, we were pleased to see a high level of response to this question. Consumer education and changeout program expansion were both popular responses, while increased enforcement of existing state regulations and more state regulations in general was less popular. In other sections, including question 12’s other feedback section, consumer education was deemed very popular. The more difficult question is how a small group like ours can effectively do more consumer education.

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Question 4: What U.S. state or foreign country do you live in?

We received 260 responses to this question, most of which were U.S. states. The results are summed up on the following heat map, which shows that most AGH readers, at least in this sample size, tend to reside in more northern states, with southern states being much less represented. In terms of foreign countries, 22 respondents said they lived in Canada, and much lower numbers were also received for Chile, Kenya, Sweden, Germany, France, the U.K., Japan, New Zealand, and Poland.

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Question 5: Which of the following appliances do you own? (Check all that apply)

This question received a wide variety of answers without a strong trend besides the comparative popularity of wood stoves as primary and secondary heat sources as compared to pellet stoves, wood/pellet boilers, and the other green heat systems listed. Among the “other” responses, air source heat pumps and masonry heaters were also popular responses. This question helps us understand what kind of information is applicable and/or useful to those reading our content.

Questions 6, 7, & 8: 

These three questions regarded research AGH is doing into how wood and pellet stoves are evaluated in energy audits. In response to question 6, (“Have you had an energy audit done on your home in the last 3 years?”) 30 responded "yes." Out of those 30, only 5 responded “yes” to question 7, which asked, “If you own a wood or pellet heater, did the energy auditor inspect it?” We reached out to all respondents who provided their email address in order to contact them about their energy audit experience, and have received very helpful responses from a number of people. Once again, if you would like to share your energy audit report or experience with us, please email caroline@forgreenheat.org because we would love to hear from you!

Question 9: How would you rate AGH’s monthly e-newsletter on a scale of 1 to 5?

We are relieved that an average of 83%of respondents think the newsletter is a good length, has a good frequency, and is not too biased for or against wood heating. AGH is a pro-wood heating group, but we also think it is important to address wood smoke and a range of other issues head-on. 

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Question 10: In your opinion, on which areas should the Alliance for Green Heat focus?

Just as in question 3 and 1, education and outreach appeared to be very important to our survey respondents, while social media and engagement of other non-profits appeared to be less so. We do maintain Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, although this is not where we direct most of our effort!

Question 11: The Alliance for Green Heat promotes modern wood and pellet heating systems as low-carbon, sustainable, and affordable energy solutions. In your opinion, how effective is AGH in achieving this mission?

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It was encouraging to see that the majority of respondents rated us as somewhat or very effective, though we know we can always improve.

Question 12: Is there any other feedback you wish to share with AGH? 

We received 92 written responses to this question! Most responses provided encouragement, suggestions for content, questions, or clarification on prior survey responses. We read and appreciate every single survey response we got.

Question 13: Biolite camp stove drawing: We have a winner!!
Finally, out of the 216 respondents to this question who entered our stove drawing, Ken Hansen of Washington State was randomly selected to receive a FREE $350 Biolite electricity-generating wood grill. From Mr. Hansen: “I'm looking forward to surprising my hiking partners by recharging our phones/cameras while I grill the carne asada after a day of hiking!”

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the survey!